Erik Weihenmayer: A Tragic Hero

In this world, the unthinkable and the impossible are merely words. Anything that is set in the complex human mind can be strived for and achieved. A young teen named Aaron Fotheringham was mentally and emotionally strong enough to be the first person to do a backflip on a wheelchair. Along with many others, Erik Weihenmayer is on the long list of great individuals who achieved the “impossible”. Erik Weihenmayer is the first courageous blind man who successfully took on Mount Everest and set a record. This expedition revealed both Erik’s internal and external strength. Erik showed self-belief, physical endurance, and emotional support towards his team. Helen Keller’s quote, “No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the
The thought of climbing Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, must have been quite a frightening thought. However, this wasn’t the case for Erik. Being a victim of rare hereditary disease of the retina and losing his sight at thirteen only made Erik mentally stronger. With the right training he believed he could be the first sightless person to climb the immense and most feared mountain in the world. This relates to Helen Keller in the fact that she believed in herself and was the first blind person to receive a bachelor degree. Both individuals “sailed to an uncharted land.”

29,000 feet of cold and unrecognized territory quickly called on the need for acclimatization. This did not bother Erik, as he had the physical strength and endurance to take on the world’s tallest mountain. Although he was blind, he has characteristics of a great mountaineer. A powerful body with refined sense of balance, low heart rate, and the ability to withstand temperatures of below zero aided Erik in his journey. This feeling of Erik’s accomplishment would closely mirror the figurative feeling of “discovering the secret of the